Training for medical or veterinary personnel is an important aspect of developing the diagnostic and treatment skills necessary for providing care. Using human or animal actors for such training can be vital. However, the actual, physical symptoms associated with a given condition can be difficult to simulate on a healthy human actor. One such example is the unusual pulse rate and pattern experienced as a result of a number of medical conditions. An actor is generally not capable of reproducing specific pulse characteristics. Mannequins can be equipped with systems to mimic certain vital signs, but cannot realistically provide the emotional aspects of the scenario that make the training compelling.
Certain prior art methods for simulating a pulse exist. However, these methods are focused on providing “sound” devices, “auscultation” devices, or “auditory” devices. No attempt is made to mask frequencies within the human hearing range. Such devices fail to present a user with a synthetic pulse that provides the correct timing, rate, amplitude, pattern, and/or feel that a patient might actually experience during a medical episode.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for systems and methods that provide a synthetic pulse that simulates the pulse experienced by a patient with a particular condition.